Facing an 18-point deficit midway through the first half, the British and Irish Lions were in a hole. Beware the wounded Wallaby.
Andy Farrell’s side had been miles off it during that opening period. Perhaps they took it for granted that Australia would simply be swept aside with ease.
With the Aussies’ monstrous tag team of Will Skelton and Rob Valetini bulldozing every red jersey in sight, the Lions were being asked serious questions.
The kind of questions, and the kind of genuine adversity, they hadn’t really faced at all so far on this tour Down Under. How would they respond?
Trailing 23-5, they finally found a response when Tom Curry went over in the corner. But it was Huw Jones’ try a couple of minutes before half-time when the fightback really began.
That was the moment when it felt like the Lions had wrestled back the momentum from a Wallabies side who had threatened to run riot.
Huw Jones gets a lift from Englishman Ollie Chessum after his starring role at an electric MCG
Jones crosses for a crucial try shortly before the interval to hand momentum back to the Lions
Jones formed a formidable centre partnership with Bundee Aki against a determined Australia
It was a try made in Scotland. It all started with Finn Russell taking a quick penalty and absolutely nailing a peach of a kick to pin the Aussies back deep inside their 22.
It was Jones who then muscled his way over to score when he still had plenty left to do. Dragging the Lions kicking and screaming back into the match, Scotland’s double act had come good.
Let’s not forget, Jones almost wasn’t playing at all.
Had it not been for Garry Ringrose pulling out of the squad, Jones wouldn’t have been on the field.
But the Scotland centre has been one of the standout players on this Lions tour and has moved into a bracket of being truly world-class.
It is often Russell and Sione Tuipulotu who dominate a lot of the headlines in Scotland’s midfield, but Jones has been consistently excellent now for the past two years.
In the end, it was a pulsating Test match. Having been dreadfully dull for the past few weeks, the series as a whole needed a game like this.
Australia turned up and threw the kitchen sink at the Lions. But Farrell’s side pulled it out of the fire.
Finn Russell celebrates with fellow Scot Blair Kinghorn at time-up in Melbourne
They pulled off the biggest ever comeback in a Lions Test match.
That’s no mean feat, especially under such pressure in front of a record crowd of over 90,000.
They say that these are the games which can define careers and live with players forever.
Over the past few weeks, Russell has cemented his place as the best fly-half on the planet, bar none.
But it’s Jones who may well have surprised a few. He has been outstanding. One of the players of the series, without question.
When the dust settles on this epic clash in Melbourne, it’ll be the Scotland midfield double act who are the toast of many celebrations.
